Allantoin – The Best Soothing Ingredient that Nature Has to Offer?

Tags

acne, acne scars, alcohol, algae extracts, Allantoin, anti-irritant, Arnica, blue Lotus extracts, botanical, botanical extracts, breakouts, chamomile, cleansers, combination skin, Comfrey, cuts, debris, decongest, dirt, dryness, dullness, Europe, exfoliate, face masks, Glycerin, glycolic acid, hands, herb, hydrate, hydrolipid, ingredient, ingrown hairs, irritation, itching, Lactic Acid, lightweight, lotions, Magnolia Essential Oil, moisture, moisture balance, nails, natural sources, normal skin, nourish, oil, oily skin, organic, pore minimising, pores, purify, Salicylic Acid, salicylic acid serum, scrapes, sensitive skin, serums, Shea butter, skin problems, skincare, smooth skin, soothe, sugar beat, tobacco seed, urea, uric acid, Vitamin E, water, wheat sprouts, white meadowfoam oil

Photo by Ron Lach

As you’ll know if you’re a regular visitor to our site, we like to keep our fingers on the pulse when it comes to skincare ingredients and trends. One such ingredient which has been popping up a lot lately is allantoin. It’s something which has been around for some time, but it’s going through something of a renaissance, with many major skincare companies including in their products. Here’s the lowdown on allantoin:

What is allantoin?

As we mentioned above, allantoin is used in many skin care products, including cleansers, lotions, serums, and face masks. Due to its anti-irritant properties, companies tend to add it to products that hydrate and soothe the skin. This ingredient is perfect for sensitive skin and is usually derived from natural sources.

Where is it found? 

In its natural form, allantoin is found in several plants, such as sugar beet, chamomile, tobacco seed, and wheat sprouts. A popular source of allantoin is the extract of comfrey, a species of herb native to Europe. It can also be prepared synthetically for cosmetic use, either by oxidation of uric acid, reaction of dichloroacetic acid and urea, or condensation reaction between glyoxylic acid and urea. (Don’t worry, that’s the last time today that we’ll get so scientific!)

What is it good for?

Allantoin might be your ticket to super smooth skin. It’s one of those amazing ingredients that offers a major bang for your buck and is great if you’re dealing with dryness, dullness, irritation, acne scars and even cuts and scrapes. Allantoin is also known for its ability to add more water to your skin. It can help your skin hang on to moisture longer, and helps fight annoying skin issues like dryness, itching, and irritation, which can ultimately lead to more skin problems, like acne or oily skin. 

Which products contain allantoin?

Decleor White Magnolia Hand and Nail Cream

This light cream is ideal for use throughout the day to leave skin beautifully scented and provide essential care for hands and nails. Key active ingredients include white meadowfoam oil to regenerate the hydrolipid film, shea butter and allantoin to nourish and soothe, plus magnolia essential oil to help protect and reinforce the skin.

Lycon Ingrown X-It Solution

With allantoin, salicylic acid, lactic acid and arnica, Lycon Ingrown X-It Solution is a break through spray formula for the face and body. It mildly exfoliates, decongests and helps minimise the appearance and discomfort of ingrown hairs. 

Medik8 Blemish Control Pads

Pre-soaked in a clarifying maximum strength salicylic acid serum, Medik8 Blemish Control Pads dissolve oil and dirt from deep within the pore to purify problem complexions. Crafted without alcohol and infused with allantoin and glycerin, they protect the skin’s natural moisture balance to ward off dryness, while caring for the most sensitive of skin types.

Murad Clarifying Body Spray

Murad Clarifying Body Spray is a quick-drying formula that helps prevent body breakouts. Salicylic acid helps clear up blemishes as glycolic acid helps clear away pore-clogging debris. Allantoin and blue lotus extract help soothe irritation for healthier-looking skin.

SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture

SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture is a lightweight, pore minimising moisturiser, designed to hydrate and nourish normal, combination and oily skin. It contains an exclusive combination of vitamin E, three nutrient-rich algae extracts, and a blend of seven botanical extracts including allantoin. 

Fake It ‘til You Make it! – Five of the Best Fake Tans

Tags

body, bronzed, bronzing, caffeine, Caribbean, contour, copper, décolletage, deep, DHA, essential oils, exfoliator, face, fake, firm, foundations, glow, golden, gradual tan, hydration boost, long-lasting, magnolia, moisturiser, neck, non greasy, organic, self tanner, skin, South Seas, St Tropez, sun kissed, sweet almond oil, tan, tanner, tanning, tighten, vanilla extract, vitamin A

Whether you’re planning on jetting off for an early holiday or just hoping to get your legs out over the Easter bank holiday, it’s unlikely that you’re still rocking a golden glow from your last jaunt abroad. Here at Pure Beauty, we abide by the “fake it ‘til you make it” mantra when it comes to our tans, so we thought we’d share with you five of our favourite fake tan products for the very best bronzed look which could be straight from a Caribbean vacation. Oh, and as a bonus pro tip; don’t forget to get yourself a St.Tropez Dual Sided Luxe Applicator Mitt for flawless application!:

St.Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Golden Glow Medium Lotion

Anyone who knows anything about fake tan knows that St Tropez is pretty much the industry standard, and this product is no exception. It takes the hassle out of self tan application as it can be applied in the shower to gradually build a golden glow and doesn’t leave you with that typical self tan smell. It only needs to be used for three days in a row for a beautiful deep tan and the formulation contains sweet almond oil to give 24 hour hydration.

South Seas – Tahitian Glow Self Tanner

This self tanner from South Seas is an easy to apply tinted formula which promises a streak free finish and a rich, natural looking tan. It contains organic DHA to give your skin immediate colour, as well as copper and caffeine which will tighten and firm your skin. For best results we recommend using a body exfoliator before application.

Decleor Neroli Bigarade Gradual Glow Lotion

This Gradual Glow Lotion from Décleor is so much more than a self tanner. It contains magnolia essential oils and vanilla extract as well as DHA, all of which combine to intensely moisturise the skin and give you a soft and radiant top to toe golden glow. Should be applied daily until the desired level of bronzing is achieved.

HD Brows Sun Stick

Not everyone likes to use a self tanner on their face but achieving a sun kissed glow on your face can be easily achieved with this Sun Stick from HD Brows. It can be used to contour the face for a subtle sculpted look, or all over the face for a beautiful bronze glow. It can be blended using a brush and is compatible with all foundations and base products. 

St.Tropez Gradual Tan Classic Everyday Light/Medium Face Cream

If you want to tan your face with a more permanent effect then this gradual tan face cream from St Tropez is the perfect product. It is ultra hydrating and doesn’t block the pores, and builds a perfect tan over time with daily application. Once you’ve exfoliated and moisturised your face it can be applied like a regular moisturiser to the face, neck and decolletage and will give you a hydration boost and a long lasting tan.

Last Minute Christmas Ideas from Pure Beauty

Tags

Aromatherapy Associates Moments To Treasure Gift Set, body, Christmas, Colour Wow Smooth and Sexy Party Hair Kit, Elemis Best of Elemis Mini Set, Evolve organic Beauty Discovery Box, gifts, hair, kits, luminous, oils, organic, presents, skin, skincare, UpCircle The Birthday Bundle

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

With Christmas just ten days away, you’re probably thinking about all of the little last minute things that you need to do ahead of the big day. You may even still have gifts to buy for the special people in your life, or have received an unexpected present from someone you don’t normally buy for and need to reciprocate. Whatever the reason for needing another gift, we’ve put together a guide to five sets that we think would make the perfect gifts for Christmas:

Aromatherapy Associates Moments To Treasure Gift Set

This set from Aromatherapy Associates is a real winner if you want to give a gift that will create a huge “WOW”! It contains 20 exquisite products, each of which is crafted from multi award-winning essential oil blends. There is a combination of products from bath and shower oils to roller balls for pulse points, products to help you sleep and destress, as well as a body brush and a vegan rollable travel pouch.

Color Wow Smooth and Sexy Party Hair Kit

If smooth sleek hair is the goal of the person for whom you are buying, then they really can’t do better than the Colour Wow Smooth And Sexy Party Hair Kit. It contains the Colour Wow Security Shampoo, the Colour Wow Security Conditioner and the Colour Wow Dream Coat, all of which combine to give you sleek, humidity resistant hair with both shine and volume.

Elemis Best of Elemis Mini Set

You need to be careful who you buy this Elemis Mini Set for because it’s guaranteed to make them addicted to the products inside! This kit contains the six best selling skincare products from Elemis, giving you everything you need for your daily skincare and bodycare  routine. It even contains a 15ml pot of Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream, which is possibly one of their most famous and beloved products of all time.

Evolve Organic Beauty Discovery Box: Radiance

If you’re looking for a present for someone in your life for whom organic, natural products are a passion then the Evolve Organic Beauty Discovery Box: Radiance is the perfect gift. It contains a face mask, a toner and a retinol booster, all of which are derived from organic natural oils and ingredients. It’s intended to brighten dull and tired skin, leaving it bright and luminous, and revealing your inner glow.

UpCircle The Birthday Bundle

While this kit may be called The Birthday Bundle, we still think it makes an amazing gift for Christmas. It contains five of the best sellers from UpCircle to create a sustainable skincare routine. Included is an organic face serum, a coffee oil, a facial toner with mandarin and chamomile, a coffee face scrub, a face mask with olive powder, a chocolate charcoal chai soap bar and a Fair Trade cotton bag for keeping it all safe and sound.

New year, new skincare?

Tags

100% natural, acne and breakout prone skin, anti-oxidant rich night cream, beautiful, beauty products, bleak mid winter, blended, body, Calendula, care, Centella Asiatica Extract, chamomile, chlorella, cleansed skin, Cornflower, cracked, daily moisturiser, daily stress, Decleor Organic Harmonie Calm Soothing Comfort 2 in1 Cream and Mask, Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash, Dermalogica Gentle Soothing Booster, Dermalogica Ultimate Buffing Cloth, dry, dull skin, Elemis Hydra-Nourish Night Cream, Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel Eye Masks, even tone, exfoliate, Eyes, feet, geranium, glycolic acid, gorgeous, honey, hyaluronic acid, intensely moisturised, Jan Marini Bioglycolic Facial Cleanser, Japanese spa, knife, Nailtiques Avocado Foot Cream, new, New Year, non-irritating, oil-free treatment, organic, Padina Pavonica, Persian Silk Tree extract, pick me up, plankton extract, Red Raspberry Extract, redness, rinse, Rose Essential Oil, rough, sensitive skin, serum, sink, skin tightening effect, soap free formula, soothe skin, super rich Avocado Oil, sweet almond oil, tired, Toner, transform, treat, visibly smoother, Ylang-Ylang, youthful eyes.

We all tend to stick with what we know when it comes to beauty products, but with a new year upon us we think it might be time to try something new!

The Decleor Organic Harmonie Calm Soothing Comfort 2 in1 Cream and Mask is an organic, 100% natural product is a great pick me up for sensitive skin. Rose Essential Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and Centella Asiatica Extract have been blended together to soothe skin, even tone and keep complexions happy all day. You can either apply to cleansed skin and use as a daily moisturiser, or you can put on a thicker layer once a week and leave to completely sink into your skin and bring it back to life.

We love the Jan Marini Bioglycolic Facial Cleanser simply because regular use leaves skin softer, smoother and more refined than ever. The soap free formula is non irritating and when you rinse it away, there is no need for a toner because the work is already done. Excellent for acne and breakout prone skin, the secret to the success of this cleanser is the Glycolic Acid which aids follicular cleansing – give it a go, we think you might like it.

While no one sees them, your feet take the brunt of your body every day, so why not treat them with the Nailtiques Avocado Foot Cream in 2019? This cream has been specially created to help heal rough, dry and cracked skin and it does this with the help of super rich Avocado Oil. Simply apply the silky smooth cream into your legs, feet and heels, concentrating especially on those unloved areas and watch the skin transform from hard and unsightly to soft and beautiful.

If you aren’t ready to go under the knife, but need a little extra care when it comes to your eyes, the Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel Eye Masks could be what you have been looking for. Potent Plankton Extract has been combined with Padina Pavonica and Chlorella to offer an instant skin tightening effect. Hyaluronic Acid has been added into the mix because of the hydration properties it offers, and the result is visibly smoother, intensely moisturised, youthful eyes after just 20 minutes.

Life is better with a serum, and a good place to start is with the Dermalogica Gentle Soothing Booster. This popular, oil-free treatment helps to reduce redness and gives your skin the chance to recover from daily stress. Thanks to Red Raspberry Extract, Honey as well as Calendula, Chamomile and Cornflower, irritation is eased and natural moisture levels are restored.

If the bleak mid winter has left your skin feeling below par, we suggest you let the Elemis Hydra-Nourish Night Cream get to work as you sleep. This anti-oxidant rich night cream helps to seal in moisture as well as nourishing and de-stressing tired, dull skin, thanks to a blend of Persian Silk Tree Extract and Hyaluronic Acid. A gorgeous blend of Geranium and Ylang Ylang means not only is your calm and rebalanced when you wake, it smells amazing as you fall asleep.

Don’t just wash and go in the shower, take in the Dermalogica Ultimate Buffing Cloth and you can exfoliate your entire body as you cleanse it. Perfect to use with the Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash, this Japanese spa inspired cloth smooths away rough skin, in even the most hard-to-reach areas, and leaves it feeling soft and smooth.

Got your eye on something but not sure if it is for you, then get in touch and we can give you more advice to ensure your skin is in tip-top condition in 2019.

Happy new year.

Team Pure-Beauty

Opting for Organic

Tags

accelerate repair, acerola cherries, ageing, artificial colours, damage, DEA, Dermalogica MultiVitamin Power Firm, elasticity, Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Gel Mask, Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Serum, Elemis Quiet Mind Temple Balm, eucalyptus, face lift, firm, improve, ingredient, lemon, menthol, Methylsilanol Manurronate, mineral oils, organic, organic fruit acids, parabens, Patchouli, protect, resurfacing, seaweed, Silicones, smoothness, sodium laureth sulphate, strengthen, strengthened, wrinkles

Royalty-free inage

While many people focus on the products that they consume, like foods and drink, and opt for organic products to ensure the best quality, not everyone has the same idea when it comes to the products we put ON our bodies. Here at Pure Beauty, we stock many products which contain organic ingredients and these are five of our favourites:

Elemis British Botanical Shower Cream

This shower cream from Elemis is a nourishing formula based on organic oats and contains essential oils of lavender, chamomile, geranium and palmarosa, all of which were produced in Great Britain. Omega-rich echium oil works to hydrate and nourish the skin, whilst vitamin and mineral rich organic Oats and Rosemary gently cleanse the skin, for a truly restorative in-shower experience.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Firm

This firming cream from Dermalogica contains organic silicones – this is important because low-quality silicones can drag on the skin, create a sticky feel and can even bobble on the skin rather than soaking in properly. It’s designed for ageing skin and promises to protect against damage, accelerate repair, strengthen elasticity and improve smoothness.

Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Gel Mask

This gel mask from Elemis is designed to resurface the skin, leaving it look tighter, firmer and more even. It harnesses the power of organic fruit acids from acerola cherries which safely and effectively exfoliate the skins surface adding to the resurfacing efficacy of the mask. It bears the Elemis promise, which means it contains no parabens, sodium laureth sulphate, DEA, mineral oils or artificial colours.

Elemis Quiet Mind Temple Balm

This little bottle contains a highly powerful blend of essential oils, including organic menthol, which combine to soothe the senses, aid relaxation, make sleep come more easily and help promote harmony, tranquillity and relaxation. As well as menthol, it contains patchouli, eucalyptus and lemon, all known for their calming properties.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Serum

This serum from Elemis is a huge ally in the battle against ageing and contains methylsilanol manurronate, an organic derivative of seaweed, which helps to bind moisture in the layers of the skin, leaving skin feeling firm and strengthened whilst smoothing the appearance of wrinkles. The product has an immediate tightening and firming effect – we like to call it our ‘face lift in a bottle’!